Walled Lake trainer pumped up cast of 'Red Dawn'

Mike Knight, co-owner of Art of Strength Studios in West Bloomfield and Birmingham, (left) trained actor Chris Hemworth (right) and the rest of the cast of the Michigan-based movie "Red Dawn," which opens in theaters Wednesday.

Star of "Red Dawn" Chris Hemsworth (left) is pictured with Mike Knight, co-owner of Art of Strength Studios in West Bloomfield and Birmingham, during training for Marvel's first "Thor" film in Australia. Knight helped Hemsworth gain 18 pounds of muscle for the role.

Between filming for movies "Red Dawn" and "Thor," lead actor Chris Hemsworth gained 18 pounds of muscle -- all because of a fitness trainer from Walled Lake.

Walled Lake resident Mike Knight, co-owner of Art of Strength Studios, trained Hemsworth, Josh Peck and Isabel Lucas for the Michigan-filmed remake of "Red Dawn," which opened in theaters today. Knight also helped pump Hemsworth up to body builder size for the first of Marvel's "Thor" movies.

Knight also plays the character Col. Ivanov and has one line about 20 minutes into "Red Dawn." In the movie remake, North Korea invades America with the help of the Russian military, led by Knight's character.

"(The 1984) Red Dawn was Patrick Swayze and Charlie Sheen's breakout movie. And with these actors, it's the same thing. They are very humble and awesome to be with. I still talk to them all the time. They are great, great kids," said Knight. "They're just like everybody else."

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Knight went to the movie's Michigan premiere at the Palladium 12 in Birmingham two weeks ago.

"It was cool. I came out and people said, 'That's the guy who was in the movie,'" Knight said.

One scene was filmed at the American Coney Island on Lafayette Boulevard in Detroit.

"We shot that one scene I was in seven days straight, 12 hours a day," Knight said.

Other Michigan filming locations were the former Kmart headquarters in Troy, side streets in Pontiac, Lafayette Square in Detroit, the closed Notre Dame High School in Harper Woods, The Mitt in downtown Mount Clemens and a cabin in Grand Ledge.

Knight got the job after one of his clients, who worked at a nearby gym, was contacted by Pound and Mooney Casting.

"(The casting agency) asked her if there was someone at the gym who was tall and menacing. And she started laughing and said, 'Yeah, my trainer,' " Knight said.

Knight met with the stunt director, who taught him how to fake fight. And then, in his audition, Knight performed the stunts in front of the film's director Dan Bradley and producers Beau Flynn, Kevin Halloran, Vincent Newman and Tripp Vinson. That night, Knight learned he got the part.

After the movie's crew learned Knight was a fitness trainer, they hired him to train the movie's cast as well. Since he was training Hemsworth for "Red Dawn," Knight continued to train him for the next movie he was filming -- "Thor" -- for a total of seven months of training.

"This was the biggest role in Hollywood, and every trainer wanted him. And he falls in my lap. Are you kidding me?" Knight said with a laugh.

Hemsworth decided to hire Knight as his trainer for "Thor" after he watched his workout session with Peck.

"I was sweating and had a short sleeve shirt on, which I only wear when I work out. Chris was still figuring out whether to trust me, and he looked over at Josh and said, 'Josh, this guy is big.' And Josh said, 'Yeah, you might want to listen to him,' " said Knight.

When filming for "Red Dawn" ended, Hemsworth had a one month vacation to visit his family, and then Knight flew to Australia with Hemsworth for four weeks of training for "Thor."

"He started off looking very lean. And he told me, 'Mate, we have to get me big. This is it.' He had to be on screen, basically half-naked. That's Thor," Knight said. "Not only is he a great actor, but he had to look the part as well -- the god of thunder."

In the movie "Thor," Hemsworth's costume is a skin tight metal suit.

"When the (director) got him in the suit, his arms got so big that they had to cut the suit off him because he was too big," Knight said.

Knight became a personal trainer in his late 30s after battling his weight as a young adult. When he was 36 years old, Knight weighed 324 pounds.